More than 100 people are gathered in School 11 in Jersey City as the Board of Education is set to appoint Delaware woman Marcia V. Lyles as the city’s new schools superintendent.

The two dozen or so speakers, including community leaders, teachers and parents, accused the board members of "selling out" tonight, and complained the superintendent selection committee did not live up to its promise to include the community in the process.

Some said the board has not released information about Lyles’ performance, and have bowed to pressure from the state to choose her.

"It is so obvious that there are so many flaws and process that has gone on for the last several months," said Robert Knapp, a county official who has helped lead the protests against the school board.

Knapp said it was an “insult” for the board not to include interim Superintendent Franklin Walker in their list of finalists to replace Charles T. Epps, the longtime superintendent who retired in December.

“We are imploring you to do the right thing, not for Franklin Walker, not for Bob Knapp, not for the people assembled here, but for the children,” he said.

Lyles’ appointment has been controversial from the start, with a contingent of local officials, teachers and parents objecting to her because of her association with The Broad Superintendents Academy, a training ground for superintendents that has been criticized by teachers unions.

The academy, critics say, is in favor a slew of education reforms like merit pay for teachers and emphasizing standardized testing. Broad spokeswoman Erica Lepping said the academy, funded by billionaire Eli Broad, is widely misunderstood, and favors “a wide variety of tools” to help teachers.

Chris Cerf, the state’s acting education commissioner, is a Broad graduate, which fuels suspicion among Lyles’ critics that the state has had a hand in tapping her to replace Epps.